Cyclocross race draws crowd, costumed riders

HAMPTON FALLS — It's not every day you can see top-notch cyclocross racing, families enjoying pumpkin picking, and a man in a 16-foot-high giraffe costume riding a bike through an apple orchard.

Jeff McMenemy

HAMPTON FALLS — It's not every day you can see top-notch cyclocross racing, families enjoying pumpkin picking, and a man in a 16-foot-high giraffe costume riding a bike through an apple orchard.

But if you visited Applecrest Farm Orchards on Sunday, those are only a few of the things you got to enjoy during the fourth annual Orchard Cross Cyclocross Race.

David Romilly of Kensington not only designed the course that flowed through the apple orchards filled with visitors and the usual goings-on at the farm, he also won first place in the costume race for the giraffe that he and his wife designed.

Romilly crossed the finish line Sunday to a thunderous ovation as he tried to hold his giraffe's head costume in place on his shoulders as strong winds whipped across the orchards.

"It was pretty rad," Romilly said of the ovation he received while crossing the finish line of the costume cyclocross race. "I'm not a pro, so I guess it's the next big thing to feeling like you've just won a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) race or something like that."

Romilly and his wife started building the costume in August.

"We were just kind of screwing around with it. It was too wide at first then we shrunk it down, then we elongated it," Romilly said. "(My wife) said that should be good for length, and I said we got a lot more to go."

The neck of the giraffe costume was so tall that people waiting at the finish line could see the head of the costume over the tallest apple trees in the distance.

Perhaps the toughest part of the race was keeping the neck from completely falling over.

"It was really tough on the neck," Romilly said during an interview after the race as the long neck of the costume lay on the ground next to him. "The PVC (used to make the costume) was digging into my shoulder, but it wasn't too bad."

Romilly's costume was just one of many that won cheers from the crowd gathered at the course Sunday.

Other costumes included Evel Knievel twins on a tandem bike, Captain Kirk from "Star Trek," a skeleton and a gorilla.

Derek Griggs of Seabrook and his granddaughter, Julesiya, raced in Sunday's race together on one bike as "Thing 1 and Thing 2," the popular characters from "The Cat In The Hat," by Dr. Seuss.

"It was all her idea, she's a big Dr. Seuss fan," Griggs said after the pair had finished racing Sunday.

Griggs has been participating in the costume race for the past two years and plans to do it again next year.

"It's an awesome event," he said.

The costume race was just one of a series of cyclocross races held throughout the day at Applecrest in what is becoming a more popular venue and more popular sport every year, according to race organizer Jeff Latimer.

"It's growing widely in the United States," said Latimer, the owner of Gus' Bike Shop in North Hampton, which sponsors the event. "Our race has gone from 150 riders four years ago to over 600 this year."

Cyclocross racing features road racing bikes with wider wheels racing on dirt and grass courses, that also challenge riders with barriers and run-ups.

"People will literally be racing up to the barriers, dismount as fast as they can, lift the bike up, run as fast as they can over the barriers and hop back on the bike," Latimer said.

Cyclocross racing is something even people new to bike racing can enjoy, and that, combined with the Applecrest venue, has made the event a success every year, Latimer said.

"It's been a happy marriage with cyclocross racing, live music, apple picking, a petting zoo and bathrooms," Latimer said, and laughed. "That's important whenever you're having a live event."

Ted King of Brentwood, a professional road racer who's competed in the Tour de France, attended Sunday's event but didn't race.

"I'm taking it all in ... This is definitely a fun day for everybody," King said.

He called the growth of the Orchard Cross event "awesome" and said it's part of a national trend for cyclocross racing.

"It doesn't hurt that it's a beautiful day," King said, and added, "This venue is phenomenal."

Romilly, who worked with volunteers for "months and months" to design the course, said the event offers something for everyone.

"I tell everyone I know to come, even if you don't ride a bike or don't know what's going on," Romilly said. "The fact you can go over there and get cider doughnuts at Applecrest, it's unbelievable how they've opened their arms to us."

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